Prediction of monopolar corona charge injection and current distribution in air for complex geometries

A three-dimensional finite element (FE) modelling method has been devised to allow the development of software for predicting charge injection, current distribution and electric field due to monopolar corona discharge in air from electrodes with complex geometries. Prototype software using this method has given promising results. The motivation for the modelling method was the prediction of the effect of discharge electrode geometries on the performance of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs)-devices that remove solid and liquid particles from industrial gas flows. Therefore the method also has provision for the inclusion of the effects of an arbitrary background space charge (since precipitators contain charged airborne particulate). This paper gives an overview of the physical problem and the FE method used to solve it